Digital Commons Network^™

Mechanism By Which Commensal Bacteria Limit Inflammation, Mallory Paynich

Dissertations

Trillions of bacteria live within the gastrointestinal tract and are critical for maintaining intestinal homeostasis; however, the mechanisms utilized by specific bacterial molecules to contribute to homeostasis are not well understood. We utilize a mouse model in which a single oral dose of the probiotic, Bacillus subtilis, protects mice from acute colitis induced by the enteric pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. Our goal is to elucidate the mechanism by which B. subtilis prevents inflammation.

We identified exopolysaccharides (EPS) to be the active molecule of B. subtilis, and a single dose of EPS protects mice from disease. EPS binds F4/80+CD11b+ peritoneal macrophages, and …

United States Foreign Policy Toward Hiv/Aids In Africa: The Role Of Pharmaceutical Companies In The Formulation And Implementation Of The President’S Emergency Plan For Aids Relief (Pepfar) 2003-2008, Toussaint Kafarhire Murhula

Dissertations

During his 2003 State of the Union Address, President Bush announced his Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and asked Congress, over the next five years, to authorize the appropriation of $15 billion to provide treatment, prevention and care to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Given the existing pattern of neglect and indifference in U.S.-Africa relations and the Bush campaign’s statement in 2000 dismissing Africa from his foreign policy priorities, what then justifies his administration’s undertaking of this massive foreign policy change?

My dissertation offers insight into the role played by private US pharmaceutical companies …

Moral Distress And The Health Care Organization, Andy Kondrat

Dissertations

A health care professional may experience moral distress when she believes she knows the ethical course of action in a given situation, but is unable to enact that plan, or must do otherwise. This dissertation argues that health care organizations have an ethical obligation to address moral distress in their health care professionals, and that common responses to moral distress are ethically insufficient due to their reliance on hierarchical solutions when hierarchies are, in fact, often a cause of moral distress. Thus, health care organizations, as moral agents, have a responsibility to find a non-hierarchical response to moral distress.

In …

Symptom Experience And Influenza-Like Illness In A Military Population, Monique Bouvier

Dissertations

AIMS: The primary objective of this study was to identify if symptom presentation expressed over the course of an influenza-like illness (ILI) can predict virus type by use of unsupervised machine learning. The secondary objective was to describe clinical characteristics of strain specific coronavirus. Finally, examine the psychometric properties of the Canadian Acute Respiratory Illness and Flu Scale (CARIFS).

BACKGROUND: ILI outbreaks have been a significant source of non-battle injury among military personnel. Many different viruses cause ILI, and it is difficult to determine which virus is causing the illness. Recent studies have examined the etiology and epidemiology of ILIs. …

Environmental Impacts And Carry-Over Effects In Complex Life Cycles: The Role Of Different Life History Stages, Nnaemeka F. Ezeakacha

Dissertations

A challenge faced by organisms with complex life cycles is how environmental factors experienced at an earlier life stage affect the fitness at that stage or are carried over to subsequent life stages. I used container-inhabiting mosquitoes: Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti, Aedes triseriatus and Culex quinquefasciatus to study the interactions and performance of life history stages under specific environmental factors. I investigated the effects of egg-desiccation tolerance on egg viability and larval performance in the Aedes mosquitoes. I found increase in egg hatch rate with relative humidity and interaction between relative humidity and egg storage period. Larval performance …

Adverse Drug Reactions And Resultant Health-Related Quality Of Life During Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment In South Africa, Ana Maria Kelly

Dissertations

The incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is on the rise globally. MDR-TB takes a minimum of 2 years to treat and the treatment regimen produces many adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for further research on the treatment of community- based MDR-TB patients as care is being decentralized to outpatient settings. In the WHO's TB progress report for 2015, they note there is a dearth of literature about anti- TB drug-induced mortality, morbidity and loss in quality of life, particularly in low- resource settings.

This study directly addresses this gap in knowledge by examining the …

Assessing Injury Prevention And Intervention Protocols For High Schools Within The Gateway Athletic Conference, Michael Zacheis

Dissertations

This study was the result of a quantitative methods research design, which assessed: athletic training services, injury prevention at the time of the study, and intervention protocols for high schools within the Gateway Athletic Conference (GAC). This study explored the impact of injuries and concussions on student athletes. The study also examined the types of athletic training facilities, resources for rehabilitation, and procedures for athletic training programs available at the high school level in the GAC. The study uncovered some significant findings between the groups who were surveyed. The participants surveyed represented athletic trainers, athletic directors, and coaches. There were …

Mining Biological Networks Towards Protein Complex Detection And Gene-Disease Association, Eileen Marie Hanna

Dissertations

Large amounts of biological data are continuously generated nowadays, thanks to the advancements of high-throughput experimental techniques. Mining valuable knowledge from such data still motivates the design of suitable computational methods, to complement the experimental work which is often bound by considerable time and cost requirements. Protein complexes or groups of interacting proteins, are key players in most cellular events. The identification of complexes not only allows to better understand normal biological processes but also to uncover Disease-triggering malfunctions. Ultimately, findings in this research branch can highly enhance the design of effective medical treatments. The aim of this research is …

Loss, Hope, And Redemption: The Consequences Of Methamphetamine Use In A Sample Of Incarcerated Women, Mikhial Vincent Gunderman

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the consequences of methamphetamine use in a sample of 40 incarcerated women who were court-ordered to participate in a correctional drug and alcohol treatment program in Missouri. Using interview data from this sample, I examine their perceptions of the consequences of their methamphetamine use. The negative consequences I focus on include experiences of violence, damage to interpersonal relationships, and more personal consequences related to health, employment, housing, and the criminal justice system. In this pursuit, I explore the following research questions: 1) What is the relationship between the accumulation of negative consequences and continued and/or increased involvement …

A Mixed-Methods Exploration Of Employee Attitudes, Awareness, And Satisfaction With Regard To The University Employee Wellness Program, Linda Ann Walters

Dissertations

While there was an abundant amount of research supporting the need for and benefits of a workplace health program (WHP), little empirical research existed regarding WHPs in a university setting (Watts, 1992). Compared to other WHP settings, the university setting is unique in that the employee population consists of both faculty and staff, with various work schedules, job responsibilities, and demographics. Universities also provide a unique setting for WHPs due to their access to various internal resources, such as employees with expert knowledge, campus food services, on-site facilities, and students studying health and wellness disciplines (RAND Corporation, 2013). As reported …

Identifying The Molecular Mechanisms Of Early Cachexia Using Whole Transcriptome Sequencing In Muscle And Fat Biopsies From Cancer Patients, Amal Hussain Al Hadad

Dissertations

Cancer cachexia is responsible for one third of cancer–related deaths and contributes to the death of many others. More than 80% of cancer patients are cachectic towards the end of life. Despite intensive research, the mechanisms of cancer cachexia are still poorly understood. It is our hypothesis that identification of early changes in gene expression in cachexia will lead to an improved understanding of the mechanism that trigger this important problem in cancer patients. Thus, to shed light on the mechanisms involved in the major cachexia target tissues, we investigated the entire transcriptome in muscle and fat to identify altered …

Designing Novel Abstraction Networks For Ontology Summarization And Quality Assurance, Christopher Ochs

Dissertations

Biomedical ontologies are complex knowledge representation systems. Biomedical ontologies support interdisciplinary research, interoperability of medical systems, and Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) encoding. Ontologies represent knowledge using concepts (entities) linked by relationships. Ontologies may contain hundreds of thousands of concepts and millions of relationships. For users, the size and complexity of ontologies make it difficult to comprehend “the big picture” of an ontology's content. For ontology editors, size and complexity make it difficult to uncover errors and inconsistencies. Errors in an ontology will ultimately affect applications that utilize the ontology.

In prior studies abstraction networks (AbNs) were developed to provide a …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of A Web-Based Education Program About The Icu Environment And A Standard Education Program On Anxiety, Depression, And Acute Stress Experienced Among Family Members Of Icu Patients, Chrystal Leigh Lewis

Dissertations

Family members of ICU patients may experience anxiety, depression, and acute stress disorder symptoms. A need identified by the multi-society task for critical care research was to study the usefulness of interventions to quantify and treat anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms experienced by family members of ICU patients (Deutschman et al., 2012). This task force encouraged investigating using technology to address this need. (Deutschman et al.). The purpose of this prospective, quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group (pretest/posttest) design study was to compare the effect of standard ICU education and a web-based education program about the ICU environment on the level of …

Missing Pieces: How Neighborhood Health Context Influences Jail Reentry, Andrew Gregg Verheek

Dissertations

This study explores how neighborhood context influences the odds of reoffending by those released from incarceration at a local jail facility. Using data from four sources, I seek to contribute to the understanding of reentry by including two factors missing from current theoretical and empirical work on inmate recidivism. First, using a social disorganization perspective, I include measures of neighborhood health to gain an understanding of how increased substance abuse, mental health, and physical health issues among neighborhood residents impede the development of social capital and informal control that are crucial to the reduction of recidivism. Additionally, I examine jail …

Best Practice Guidelines For Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections To Reduce Rates Of Antibiotic Resistance: A Ce Module For Clinicians, Romina Lo-Montano

Dissertations

Uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) accounted for over 8 million visits to ambulatory clinics. The annual cost of evaluation and treatment for uncomplicated UTIs on the health care system is estimated to be approximately $2.14 billion (Barber, et al., 2013). The improper treatment of patients with uncomplicated UTIs will result in increased healthcare expenditures, increase exposure of patients to potential side effects and an increase in antibiotic resistance. This capstone projected addressed the problem of non-adherence to evidence-based guidelines to treat uncomplicated UTI in women, among primary care providers. The purpose of this capstone project was to develop an evidence-based …

Galapagos Seabirds' Lice Community: Host Hetero-Specific Interactions And Parasite Evolution, Jose Luis Rivera

Dissertations

My dissertation focused on understanding the factors behind host-parasite specificity and parasite diversification, using Galapagos seabirds and their ectoparasites as the study system. This system comprised the seabird hosts (magnificent and great frigatebirds, Nazca, blue-footed and red-footed boobies) and nine species of ectoparasitic lice (one Pectinopygus ischnoceran louse species infecting each host, two species of Colpocephalum amblyceran lice, one on each frigatebird species, and two shared amblyceran lice, Eidmanniella albescens found on Nazca and blue-footed boobies and Fregatiella aurifasciata found on the two frigatebirds). Using as focal species Eidmanniella albescens and Fregatiella aurifasciata, which infect multiple hosts, I analyzed how …

Negotiating Diabetes: Professional Diabetes Care Work In The U.S., Melissa Marie Gesbeck

Dissertations

The rising incidence of diabetes mellitus (types 1 and 2) transcends national borders, creating a global pandemic. The U.S. leads the world in diabetes prevalence, despite its wealth and access to sophisticated medical technologies. Within health care, there is an increasing focus on lifestyle and behavioral interventions that research suggests may be the key to reversing this trend, but thus far their effectiveness in practice is uneven at best. In order to gain a better understanding of the other factors involved in professional diabetes care work that might support or inhibit effective diabetes management, this research treats diabetes as a …

Research And Reality: Towards Responsible Medical Research For Catholic Universities, Michael Patrick Mccarthy

Dissertations

It is frequently noted that 90% of medical research stands to benefit only 10% of the population. While others dispute the numbers, there is little doubt that disparities exist in the global agenda for medical research. One needs no clearer example of research—not to mention public health and health care delivery—disparities than the Ebola outbreak that plagues West Africa. Despite these disparities, Catholic universities continue to engage in the social practice of medical research that deviates very little from the national funding priorities established through the National Institute for Health.

This dissertation argues that these unjust disparities are perpetuated by …

Moral Development And Public Health Nursing, Margaret Avila

Dissertations

Public health nurses (PHNs) have the opportunity and professional obligation to be at the forefront of the fight to eliminate health disparities based on the practice principle of social justice. The overall purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the stage of the moral development in a convenience sample of practicing public health nurses (PHNs) and the differences in moral development stage across selected demographic variables (age, gender, race/ethnicity, level of entry into professional nursing, highest level of education, years practicing as an RN, years practicing in a public health department, self-identified political views, primary language, and region of …

Isolation And Identification Of Bioactive Compounds From Conradina Canescens Gray, Noura S. Dosoky

Dissertations

Natural products have been used in traditional medicine throughout history. All drugs and medicinal agents were derived from natural substances or inspired by a natural product. The major source of these remedies is higher plants which are great sources for new compounds that have a wide variety of activity. Conradina canescens Gray (false rosemary) is a common evergreen shrub, endemic to a small area of west Florida and adjacent Alabama and southern parts of Mississippi, USA. There are very limited studies on the chemical composition of this plant species. According to the available literature, this species has not been tested …

Predictors And Profiles Of Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among African-American Adolescents And Young Adult Males Behaviorally-Infected With Hiv: A Classification Tree Analysis Approach, Israel Moses Gross

Dissertations

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy is crucial for thwarting disease progression and reducing secondary transmission, yet HIV+ youth struggle with adherence. The highest rates of new HIV infections occur in young African American men (YAAM), thus understanding reasons for non-adherence in this group is critical. Reasons for non-adherence can be complex and multifactorial, and innovative methods of exploration are needed for advancing prevention and treatment efforts. A sample of 387 HIV+ YAAM who reported currently taking HIV medications were selected from a cross-sectional assessment of 2,226 HIV+ youth from sites within the Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) from 2009-2012 …

The Case Of Reintegration Of Women Post Incarceration, Deana Raley Noble Phd

Dissertations

Women released from prison or jail face particular obstacles and challenges on reentry to the community, many of which are related to their childhood and to gender roles as women and mothers. This study relates the lived experience of one woman's successful transition to economic and mainstream societal reintegration and family reconnection after release from prison and the insights gained by the researcher. Case study methodology congruent with Miller's Relational-Cultural Theory philosophical framework was utilized in this in-depth, single case design and represents a unique case. The overall purpose of this descriptive and explanatory research was to explore precursors to …

Magnetic Nickel Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Environmental Lmplications And Potential Role As Drug Carriers, Setare Tahmasebi Nick

Dissertations

The design and synthesis of well-defined magnetic particles with nanoscale dimensions is opening new avenues in understanding their fundamental chemical and physical properties. Our work describes a novel facile procedure for the synthesis of homogenous isotropic and anisotropic magnetic nickel nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were produced using a wet-chemical process and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Magnetic measurements were acquired using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. While there is significant interest in using magnetic nanoparticles for biological …

Increasing Patients’ Knowledge In Transmission Of Bacterial Vaginosis And Its Treatment Regimens, Debra Garner

Dissertations

Research has shown bacterial vaginosis to be one of the most common vaginal disorders in women of child bearing age (Chen, Tian, & Beigi, 2009; Centers for Disease Control, 2012; Menard, 2011). Each year many women are seen by their gynecologist, sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics, and emergency rooms (ER) for complaints of having malodorous discharge (Bradshaw, et al., 2005). Several STI’s and adverse pregnancy outcomes have been attributed to women having bacterial vaginosis (Bradshaw, et al, 2005; Chen, et al.2009; Elkins, & Mayeaux, 2010). Women are predisposed to bacterial vaginosis by the use of wearing non cotton underwear, douching, …

Antiviral Responses In Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells: Differential Development Of Cellular Mechanisms In Type I Interferon Production And Response, Ruoxing Wang

Dissertations

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have been recognized as a promising cell source for regenerative medicine. Intensive research over the past decade has led to the possibility that ESC-derived cells will be used for the treatment of human diseases. However, increasing evidence indicates that ESC-derived cells generated by the current differentiation methods are not fully functional. It is recently recognized that ESC-derived cells lack innate immunity to a wide range of infectious agents and inflammatory cytokines. When used in patients, ESC-derived cells would be placed in wounded sites that are exposed to various pathogens and inflammatory cytokines; therefore, their viability and …

The Standard Deviation: Attitude Transference And Perceptions Of Deviant Behavior, Candace Forbes Bright

Dissertations

This dissertation uses a three-article dissertation model to 1) compare how deviance is defined and what is considered deviant comparing the United States to South Korea using content analysis, 2) test socio-demographic and social network variables in the development of one’s approval of deviance using eleven ordinary least squared regression models, and 3) examine the association between social networks and approval of deviant behaviors using social network analysis. All three articles use data from a survey on perceptions of deviant behavior. The survey was conducted in English and Korean. The first article provides comparisons on how deviance is defined and …

Dispositional Optimism: Modeling Cardiovascular Disease Mortality With Traditional Risk Factors And A Psychosocial Personality Trait, Kiana Ramisi Luckett Robinson

Dissertations

Despite increased awareness of clinical risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), heart disease remains a physical and economic burden to African Americans. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dispositional optimism, a psychosocial personality trait, and CVD mortality, based on immediate cause of death. A cross-sectional design was used to examine the predictive value of dispositional optimism in CVD mortality concomitant with traditional CVD risk factors. The traditional CVD risk factors of interest consisted of body mass index, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, total cholesterol, and C-reactive protein. Also, aggregated mortality data for optimists …

Performance Analysis And Scheduling Strategies For Ambulatory Surgical Facilities, Xuanqi Zhang

Dissertations

Ambulatory surgery is a procedure that does not require an overnight hospital stay and is cost effective and efficient. The goal of this research is to develop an ASF operational model which allows management to make key decisions. This research develops and utilizes the simulation software ARENA based model to accommodate: (a) Time related uncertainties – Three system uncertainties characterize the problem (ii) Surgery time variance (ii) Physician arrival delay and (iii) Patient arrival delay; (b) Resource Capture Complexities – Patient flows vary significantly and capture/utilize both staffing and/or physical resources at different points and varying levels; and (c) Processing …

Adventist Medical Mission In Botswana: Toward An Effective And Appropriate Model, Olaotse Obed Gabasiane

Dissertations

Since holistic health is central to Africans, they will seek it from all possible health-care systems that include (1) African traditional medicine, (2) Western-oriented medicine, (3) Christian medical mission, as well as (4) African Independent Churches (AICs) with emphasis on spiritual healing. However, at times this comes with negative consequences.

This research sought to understand why medicalpluralism exists in Botswana and the rest of southern Africa, and why it finds concurrent use by Africans; solutions can help Christian medical missions develop more effective and holistic ways to serve Africans. The research can also help Christian medical missionsunderstand how they can …

Impact Of First Disclosure Experience And Internalized Stigma On Disclosure Patterns In The Hiv+ Community, Mary Elizabeth Talbot

Dissertations

The present study examined possible antecedent factors that contribute to the type of discloser (HIV status) one becomes as well as the relation between discloser type, social support, and CD4 count. This study builds off previous research by Stutterheim et al. (2011) that examined differences between disclosure groups on a variety of variables, but the study did not examine variables that may contribute to the type of discloser a person becomes. The present study examined two variables that previous research suggests may influence the type of discloser (relative non-discloser, selective discloser, full discloser) a person becomes, first-disclosure experience, and internalized …